This invention relates to a plant container with concavoconvex ribs which is particularly effective for use in planting, growing and raising any type of plant that flourishes in a soil medium, and more particularly, an inexpensive plastic container which may be stacked in a nested relationship without sticking.
Recently there has been a tremendous increase in society's interest in growing plants, both on the commercial level and on the private individual level. This increase stems from the realization that a more natural environment and diet improves the quality and quantity of life and from societal trends that have made natural items more fashionable. As the use of potted plants for both utilitarian and aesthetic purposes increases, individuals and commercial entities interested in such endeavors search for plant containers that will allow them to more closely simulate natural growing conditions and to increase the performance and beauty of their plants. Thus, there is a need for new plant containers that will increase efficiency in producing plants and minimize the loss encountered when plants are replanted from an initial growing medium to an intermediate or permanent container.
One problem encountered, particularly in commercial plant growing and production, is the reduced efficiency in replanting operations occasioned by the collapsing of the surrounding soil medium into a hole that has been mechanically drilled in the soil medium to accept a plant before the roots of such plant can be placed in the hole. In replanting a plant into a new soil medium and Plant container, it is the usual practice in the commercial plant industry to use a soil drill to "drill" a hole in a soil medium previously placed in a plant container, and to place the roots of the plant into such hole. Inherent in this method, however, is the collapse of the surrounding soil medium into the "drilled" hole before the roots of the plant can be properly inserted. This results in a loss of efficiency in the replanting process and requires an expensive duplication of effort and a corresponding escalation in the overall operating costs of the commercial planter, which, undoubtedly, is eventually passed on to the consumer. Accordingly, an effective means for eliminating or minimizing the collapse of the soil medium into the "drilled" hole is needed.
Plant pots and the like as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 256,682; 266,750; 2,859,557 and 3,009,603 do not attempt to remedy this problem. The orientation and construction of the ribbing on the side wall of the disclosed containers is such that it provides no additional support that would tend to keep the soil medium from collapsing. Furthermore, plant pots and the like as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 167,009 and 1,896,229 exacerbate this problem in that the ribbing on the sidewall, because it is indented toward the center of the container, pushes the soil medium inward and reduces the support that the container provides the soil medium and increases the likelihood that the medium will collapse into the drilled hole.
A second problem encountered with plant containers in both commercial and private use, is the tendency of empty containers, when stored in a nested relationship, to become stuck inside one another. Suqh tendency reduces the efficiency with which workers at commercial nurseries can handle and use the plant containers and leads inevitably to the cracking, breaking and tearing of such containers when they are forcibly unstuck. This leads to reduced efficiency and increased costs. Additionally, such sticking creates a significant storage problem when it becomes necessary to store the containers separately rather than in a nested series.
Plant pots and the like as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 167,009; 248,153; 2,859,557 and 3,683,549 get stuck inside one another when nested if they can be nested at all. The structure of those plant containers would necessarily require that a large portion of the inside sidewall of the one container come in simultaneous contact with a large portion of the outside sidewall of another container nested therein, thereby allowing the nested container to become wedged inside the other container. The plant pots described in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 266,750 and 4,173,097, while capable of being nested without sticking, require a relative orientation between nesting containers before this desired result can be achieved. Such orientation necessarily requires those individuals involved in the use, sale and shipping of such plant containers to expend additional amounts of time in properly nesting the containers. While the plant container described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,234,091 may be nested without specific orientation, it must be disassembled from its usable form before it can be stacked or nested.
Furthermore, the plant containers described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 241,764 and 3,009,603, when nested, result in a top neavy stack. The stacks are necessarily top heavy because of the high center of gravity, caused by the relatively large vertical dimension between the uppermost circumferential point of one container and the uppermost circumferential point of a container nested therein. Said vertical dimension equates to the height of the relatively large rim at the top of the containers. In addition to creating a top-heavy stack, the configuration embodied in those patents greatly minimizes the number of pots that can be nested into a manageable stack, as the large vertical dimension of the rim results in a relatively tall stack when only several of the plant containers are nested. The large vertical dimension of the rim also creates a large amount of wasted space in the bottom of each container as the container nested therein does not fully insert into the container, and thus leaves a space between the outside bottom of the container nested therein and the inside bottom of the nesting container. Clearly, a plant container that will nest automatically without orientation and without sticking and that nests in such a way that a large number of such containers can be stacked into a manageable configuration is needed.
Another problem encumbent to plant containers is the collection of water in the bottom of a plant container due to overwatering. Overwatering generally creates a reservoir of wet or muddy soil in the bottom of the container that is unsuitable to effectively support plant life within the container, and may even be detrimental to the plant as it tends to drown the roots and kill the plant. Plant pots and the like as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,859,557 and 3,009,603 provide a certain amount of drainage, but, if such containers are placed on a soft or uneven surface, the drainage holes easily become stopped and no drainage at all can occur. Furthermore, because some containers generally have small legs or protrusions arranged around the circumference of the bottom of the container to facilitate drainage, they have a relatively high center of gravity so that they topple over easily. Additionally, because said small legs or protrusions provide a relatively small area to support the weight of the container and its contents, they tend to puncture the thin plastic sheet that is used as a ground cover at many commercial nurseries or to sink into soft ground upon which they are placed. As such, the containers are ill suited for use except on hard, completely flat surfaces.
Another problem encountered with plant containers in both commercial and private use, is the comfort and ease, or lack thereof, with which an individual can handle the containers. This problem is most keenly felt in the private sector where horticulturalists tend to pursue their pastime without proper protection for the hands and arms. However, in the commercial sector, containers that are uncomfortable and difficult to use detract from the efficiency of the commercial operation and may even lead to an increase in work related injuries. The plant containers described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 54,081 and 3,683,549 provide nothing in the way of handles, lips or ribs that may be used to handle the container and maneuver it when it is filled with a soil medium and a plant. The individual handling the container is thus relegated to holding the container by its bottom, or trying to keep a sufficient handhold on the outside sidewall of the container to allow it to be moved. A plant container that overcomes these limitations is needed.
It is therefore, the object of the present invention to provide lightweight and inexpensive plant containers preferably made of formable plastic, which may be easily stored for convenient usage, more efficiently filled and planted, and which also provide improved plant containers for extended use during plant growth.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a container for plants that reduces the tendency of the soil medium in the container to fill a hole which has been drilled to accept the roots of a plant that is to be replanted into the container.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a container for plants and the like that will allow quick and efficient nesting without orientation and will nest in such a way as to result in a stack that contains a large number of pots and that is easy to handle.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a container for plants and the like which provides an effective means for allowing drainage from the plant container.
It is an additional object of the invention to provide a container for plants that is both comfortable and safe to use.